Kriptograafiametoodid

Kriptograafiametoodid refers to the various techniques and algorithms used in cryptography to secure information. These methods are designed to protect data from unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure. They form the foundation of modern digital security, enabling secure communication, data storage, and authentication.

One of the most fundamental types of cryptographic methods is encryption. Encryption involves transforming readable data, known as plaintext, into an unreadable format called ciphertext. This process is typically achieved using a secret key. Decryption is the reverse process, where ciphertext is converted back into plaintext using the corresponding key. There are two main categories of encryption: symmetric-key cryptography, which uses a single key for both encryption and decryption, and asymmetric-key cryptography (also known as public-key cryptography), which employs a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.

Hashing is another crucial cryptographic method. Hash functions take an input of any size and produce a fixed-size output, known as a hash value or message digest. These functions are designed to be one-way; it is computationally infeasible to determine the original input from its hash value. Hashing is widely used for data integrity verification, ensuring that data has not been altered. Digital signatures, which are based on asymmetric cryptography, provide authentication and non-repudiation, confirming the sender's identity and proving that the sender did not deny sending the message. These methods are essential for secure online transactions, digital certificates, and secure software distribution.